• Villain or Victim- how does the book delve into Khalil’s double-life?  How do the general people view him compared to how the Garden Heights people?

Discussion Questions:

• How do you think Lisa will react when she hears that Starr is not going to remain silent?  How do you think it will affect her relationship with Maverick?

• What do you predict will happen to King since Mr. Lewis exposed him on TV?  What do you think will happen to Mr. Lewis?

• Thoughts on Chris and Jess not attending the protests; thoughts on the protest itself—would you participate?  Why or why not?

• Do you think DeVante will be discovered at the Carter house?  What do you think would happen to him?  To Starr’s family (specifically Maverick)?

• Thoughts on how Hailey and Maya are changing – do you think either one will come back to Starr?  Thoughts on Hailey’s tumblr comment

• Compare the protest after the funeral to the protest at the school

-Helena

How do you think Starr wil handle racism from now on, since Khalil is dead?

Why did some stay home while the protest happened?

How does it make you feel to know that Khalil was murdered? How does it reflect our society today?

Do you think the characters and scenery in the book are realistic to what is happening in the cities in reality?

3. Do you think the cops will keep their eye on Starr’s dad like they said they would and how does this affect their everyday life

4. Talking to Ms, Ofrah, what do you think Starr means when she thinks ¨funny how murdered comes out easily now¨

5. Do you think if Starr did not share her personal experience and opinion from past murders, Ms. Ofrah would have been as nice and sympathetic

• Do you think Maverick overreacted when he found out about Chris?

• Thoughts on Uncle Carlos fighting Officer One-Fifteen?

• How do you think Starr’s interview will affect the entire situation?  How will it affect Officer One-Fifteen?  Do you think it will encourage more riots instead of protests (anger driving to violence)?

• Thoughts on the situation with Maverick and Carlos and guarding the house after the brick and gun shots—Maverick accusing Carlos of not caring and Carlos bringing Maverick’s absence into the argument
-Helena

• Maverick takes DeVante to Uncle Carlos’s because he knows he can have a chance at survival there—he has hope in DeVante’s future and wants to get him to safety so he can fulfill that potential

• Lisa telling Starr that she stayed with Maverick after he cheated because the good outweighed the bad—their relationship was stronger than a fight and a mistake
Prejudice- 
• Hailey’s warped view that since Officer One-Fifteen is a cop that he is good and just “doing his job” and that Khalil is automatically bad because he was a drug dealer
-Helena McMahon

o Maverick having a drug-dealing past to provide for his family

o Khalil selling to get his mom out of a bad situation with King

o DeVante selling drugs to get his family out of Garden Heights

-Helena 

• Thoughts on Maverick bringing the Garden Disciples and King Lords together— how do you think he did it?  He was a King Lord in the past, but it doesn’t explain how he managed to reason with the Garden Disciples…

• Thoughts on Iesha showing up to the party wasn’t invited to— do you think Seven should have invited her?  Do you think she would have come if she were invited?  Do you think Seven’s outburst towards Iesha was justified?

• Do you think Iesha really cares about Seven and his sisters?  Especially after what Starr said when they left King’s house?  Do you think her intentions were good or bad (protecting them or just trying to get them out so she could party)

• Do you think throwing the tear gas at the cops had an overall good outcome or bad outcome?  Worsened the riot, but amplified the cause…

-Helena

• Hailey’s discrimination against Khalil worsens, and she states that she thinks the cop “did everyone a favor” (pg 341)

Love-

• Seven jumps into the fight to protect Starr from Remy.

• Iesha got the kids out of the house supposedly because she was protecting them from King, who was bound to be angry when he found out DeVante was gone.

• Starr speaks at the riot for Khalil, exposing her identity, because she knows that Khalil would’ve spoken out for her.  She throws the tear gas, which causes uproar but represents just how angry people are about the issue; they are willing to throw tear gas… at a cop…

-Helena